Page 12 - Nov23

Joe (foreground) and Byron with the ground crew at Nairobi, Kenya (HKJK).
their airspace, and none of them cared what our fuel gauge read. So, again, out came the calculators and a hope for favorable winds every time we got a new clearance.
The next landing was not exactly a nail-biter but landing with only 243 pounds of fuel on each side, technically an hour reserve, was a seriously low volume if we had to divert to another airport. We were told to hold at a fix on the approach to Djibouti, but I declined that request citing “minimum fuel” status. I think that was a good call considering we were in a foreign nation with limited options. We found Nairobi, Kenya (HKJK), around 8 p.m., at the end of a long flight day and eagerly ate dinner and sought much needed rest.
One of my favorite aspects of a big trip like this one is seeing different cultures; our handler at Nairobi was a guy named Wycliffe, who was happy to chat about his country. I think Kenyans have a better and more varied climate (sitting at a higher elevation), and they seem to liveabetterlifethanmanyAfricans. ›
Flying south from Kenya, Mount Kilimanjaro peaked above the clouds at FL230.
10 • KING AIR MAGAZINE
NOVEMBER 2023